1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to grass catcher arrangements for attachment to lawn mowers, and more particularly to grass catchers which are provided with a disposable catcher bag.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It has become common practice to provide lawn mowers with a grass catcher bag which collects the clipped grass portions for later disposal. The most common type of such bag is produced from a durable, reusable material, such as loosely weaved nylon, and means are normally provided for permitting the bag to be readily attached or detached to the mower discharge opening. The bag must be periodically emptied into a suitable receptacle such as a garbage can or disposable garbage bag. The transferral of the clippings in this manner can prove to be a tedious task and, consequently, various devices have been suggested for eliminating the need for such transfer.
One such construction is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,874,152 to Dahl. The Dahl patent discloses the use of a disposable perforated bag for directly collecting the grass clippings from the mower discharge opening. The disposable bag is contained within a permanent outer carrier sack or bag and thus, the Dahl invention allows only restricted access to the disposable bag, making removal of the disposable bag difficult when it is filled with grass clippings.
Several arrangements have been suggested wherein grass clippings are forced upwardly through the discharge outlet to a position above the receptacle. The clippings then fall into the depending receptacle from which they can be removed. A disposable bag can be used to line the receptacle. Examples of this type of catcher assembly can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,401 to Carpenter; U.S. Pat. No. 3,974,631 to Rhodes; U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,467 to Carpenter; U.S. Pat. No. 3,971,198 to Lane; U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,606 to Evans; U.S. Pat. No. 4,095,398 to Aumann et al; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,023 to Carpenter. These devices have the common deficiency of requiring the mower to raise the discharged particles to a substantial height above the ground prior to their deposit in the catcher bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,030,273 to Leader shows the use of a perforated catcher bag hung from the discharge chute of a lawn mower. The Leader device not only requires the grass clippings to be raised to a substantial height before they fall into the depending bag, but also provides no means for stopping projectiles which pass through the bag from striking the mower operator or bystanders.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,608 to Garrison discloses an apparatus for collecting grass cuttings comprising a disposable bag which is held in horizontal alignment with the lawn mower discharge port by a cradle. The bag is imperforate and therefore must allow air to enter and exit through the front opening. Also, no provision is made for stopping particles which pierce the bag.
Applicant is also aware of the conventional grass clipping or other debris catching apparatus shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,878,508 to Sedgwick; U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,187 to Hank et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,133,396 to Leader; U.S. Pat. No. 3,212,248 to Leader; U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,695 to Musgrave; U.S. Pat. No. 3,624,989 to Gatheridge; U.S. Pat. No. 3,634,904 to Larsen; U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,977 to Jackson; U.S. Pat. No. 3,722,192 to Corbett; U.S. Pat. No. 3,777,461 to Giraud; U.S. Pat. No. 3,802,173 to Opitz; U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,392 to Moery et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,952,484 to Van Swearingen; U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,367 to Thorud; U.S. Pat. No. 4,127,986 to Kidd; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,158,280 to Thomas et al.